We Shoot Horses

 

I think his muzzle is dirty
from little hands giving him a pat.

Since we are spending four days in Shawnee, Oklahoma, we decided to look around and see some of the local highlights. In 2007-08 the town followed the fad, started in Switzerland in 1998,  of putting up artist- enhanced fiberglass animals around town, as a tourist attraction. 

Shawnee choose horses. Many are gone, and some are a bit faded, but on Sunday we found and "shot" 13 of them. 

Each horse was sponsored, either by the artist or by a business. This one was sponsored by the Regal Car dealership.

Sponsored by the Angelic Family Hospice, this horse had angel wings.

There were many names on this one.

A Bank

One of my favorites, done with dot painting with a restaurant's name on its side.

The sign said "Hole in One" outside a SONIC.

Another Bank

I'm not sure who sponsored this one. It was in front of a dental office, and had this weed control sign at its feet.

The U-Haul Horse

This Eagle Horse was in front of an insurance company.

In front of a church, we weren't sure if he was covered with fish or praying hands.

This beauty, sponsored by another bank, was my number one favorite.

 

And finally this guy in front of the Van's Pig Stand, a BBQ restaurant. We had dinner there. The ribs were pretty good, but the rest of the meal was not.

Monday a big rain storm came through. So we hunkered down, enjoyed reading our books and writing this blog post.

Check in again soon.

Florence Rhododendron Festival Parade

One way to appreciate the local atmosphere of a town, is to go to the parade associated with their annual festival. For some it is the Fourth of July, but for Florence Oregon it is their annual Rhododendron Festival.

We felt a great deal of enthusiasm from the large groups of people who lined many blocks along the parade route with folding chairs. Families seemed to be having a fine time as they waited in the slightly chilly breeze.



I can't think of a better vehicle to symbolize the coast than a lumber truck with huge logs aboard. 

Lumber has been king, but logging has changed much like the coal mines. Many good-paying jobs that once were plentiful are now gone. The many small towns need to reinvent themselves. Florence seems to be faring pretty well.

Below are a few of the vehicles in the parade:

Stick a flower on it and it becomes a float!

Of course there were several school marching bands, veterans, service organizations, old cars, polititians, fire engines, motorcycles, clowns, Shireners in little cars, and my favorite, horses! 

After the parade we walked over to the Event Center where we had parked, and went in to see the flower show. The  Rhododendrons  were displayed by color and type.

These blooms were not only quite large, but perfect in color and condition.

If I had to choose one cluster of blooms as my favorite, this would be it.  

We had intended to go over to see the vendor area, but were discouraged by the lack of parking. I participated in so many outdoor art and craft shows in my days, I did not mind skipping walking through this one.

Before we leave Florence, we do plan on going into the Old Town area for a leisurely stroll and lunch. Craig has his eye on Mo's Chowder House.

Stay tuned ...

Successfully Repelled Mosquitoes

Happy Fourth of July America!

Bought these a few months ago and have been saving them for the Holiday! I have always liked the 4th of July because it is such an honest holiday. We celebrate the birth of our country with picnics and down-home parades. No presents, no religious significance, just BBQs and fireworks.

On Friday the 3rd, the owners of the RV park sponsored a Pot Luck dinner. They provided the hot dogs and hamburgers, and everyone brought a side dish or dessert to share.

It seems there are a lot of couples who have been coming here to Valley View RV Park for part or all of the summer for many years. We shared a table with our new Alfa friends and they introduced us to some of the others. 

After eating, six of us, all Alfa owners, gathered next to Betty and Joe's rig and solved the problems of the world. They had some very good stories to share and advice on what to be sure to see in Yellowstone in the upcoming month.

As the sun began to set, the mosquitoes came out in droves. I noticed the others begin to wave their hands and swat at the pesky buggers. Personally I have always been pretty lucky in that, although I will get a few bites, I am not very sensitive to them. 

It began to look like we were going to have to call it a night, when I remembered a device I had bought several years ago after reading about it on Karen in the Woods's blog. In her post, she told how they were at a Wisconsin wooded lakeside park and were beset by mosquitoes when they were out in the evening, so they tried a new toy, a ThermaCell Mosquito Repellant,  that worked unbelievably well. 

Being from Wisconsin myself and knowing how bad they can be I immediately ordered a couple of them. But in our travels we have been lucky enough to not be bothered by mosquitoes!

So I went and found it in a bay, and we read the instructions and got it put together and started. I have to say we were all very skeptical because it didn't smell, or smoke, or seem to do anything. At first the mosquitoes were still around, but eventually, it did work, and they stopped bothering us. Next time I'll be sure to get it going sooner! 

This product is available at stores like Cabala's  and on Amazon. It comes in a portable version like the one I bought, and also as a table top lantern.

All I can say is that it  really works!

Thank you Karen for writing about it so long ago!

Not cheap, but very effective! ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellant.

On the 4th we decided to go over to West Yellowstone for a small town celebration. I read in their local paper there would be a parade, a sale of BBQ tri-tip sandwiches as a benefit for the football program, and fireworks.

We arrived in town a bit early for the parade and took a stroll down the main street and browsed the offerings of many gift shops. I bought a bottle of Montana Wild Huckleberry Preserves and a new winter jacket.

A winter jacket? When we left our home in California I brought along one mid-weight jacket that I had owned and worn for many years. It was very functional, but not pretty. I have been looking for a replacement for a long time, but most places we go just do not have winter wear on sale. Being the tightwad that I am, I did not want to pay full price for something I would only wear occasionally.  I found this fleece-lined, hooded jacket on sale for $35. It is cuddly, and I like the hood. There is a deer picture on the back as well.

After shopping we went back to the town park, set up our chairs for the parade and had some tri-tip. It was not the best, but it was benefitted the local high school. 

The parade was pretty typical of a small town. Old cars, girl and boy scouts, veterans, bicycles, fire engines, and of course horses.

A reminder of what small town America is all about. Local people, living their lives.

Montana Sunset

It doesn't get dark enough for fireworks in Montana until after 10 PM. The parade ended around six.  With not much to do for several hours, we drove the few blocks to the place where our RV friends suggested to park for the fireworks. Although it would have been a place that would allow us to leave easily after the fireworks, we explored a bit and found a place that put us in the position of being the closest car to the launching point!

While we waited, there were more "private" fireworks being launched over the town than we had ever experienced in any other part of the country. Not just little strings of firecrackers! These "private" shells were as big as some of the municipal fireworks we have experienced.

We could see the launch area from our location, and as the 10 PM start time came, and went we learned from the firemen who where parked close to us that there was some sort of "technical problem". The good thing was that it was getting darker and darker, so that when the problem was finally solved, we saw and heard some of the best local fireworks we had seen over the years. There was just enough wind to keep the sky clear of smoke, and the bursts were almost directly overhead. 

Wow!

A great end to another Fourth of July.

  

I wonder where we will be next year.

Big Wheels are Rolling Again!

YEAH! After two medium length drives, up a few inclines, the Alfa seems to be running very well. It's as if she can finally breathe!

We stayed in the Freightliner parking area Friday night so we could get an early start on Saturday.

Sunday's weather forecast cited 100° temperatures in Salt Lake City. Time to move north. My aim was to find a place that was not too far away, but in cooler terrain.  

I found what sounded like a delightful place listed in our Passport America book. 140 miles north, the Cub River Guest Lodge and RV park is in Idaho and is just on the edge of the mountains. We called ahead and reserved the last of their twelve RV spaces.

It was fairly easy to find and get to. Except for the eight miles on the small Cub River Road, it was not much off our chosen route. 

Personally, I liked the place very much. After several nights in the city, in a hotel and in a parking lot, I was ready for a few days at a mountain retreat such as this. Small, friendly, cool!  



What more could you want?

The answer was a clear view of the sky so Craig could get the broadcast of the Women's World Cup soccer games with our rooftop Winegard satellite dish. I have to point out that it's rare that  the dish can't see the satellites, but of course this had to be the time when it was not possible with all of the trees overhead and the sheer mountain wall that loomed over us to the south.  Most of the time, Craig would be OK with not being able to get TV for a few days, but this is Women's World Cup time, and watching the games is a major pleasure for him. 

We solved Saturday's dilemma by driving south 30 miles and going to a Wild Wings Sports bar in Logan Utah to see the game. If this happened more often he would probably invest in a secondary portable dish, but finding a sports bar is much less expensive. The hot wings were good, and their TVs were top-notch!

There are several more important matches on in the next few days, so Sunday morning we again packed up and sought a park with fewer trees. There was another park that accepts Passport America  about 40 miles away, and Craig called to ask if they had a spot with a clear view of the sky. They answered "yes".

Downata Hot Springs is a little, older park with a variety of activities. They feature a large heated pool, water slides, spa, and two large hot spring fed soaking pools. 

But when we pulled into our assigned 50 amp RV spot, we discovered there was a big tree that prevented the dish from seeing its satellites. Craig walked the rather empty RV parking area and found a spot that looked better. It was no problem getting reassigned. The new spot is only 30 amp, so we have to be a bit careful with what we have on when the AC is running. 

After a nice dinner of grilled fresh salmon, we noticed the sunset was developing. To the west of our site there is a large grass pasture with several horses. I decided to try to get a picture of both the horses and the sunset. I may have done better with our big Nikon camera, but these are what I got with my little Sony:

Looks like a good place to be a horse!

This guy was pushing his nose as far under the fence as he could get to reach some of these thistles. I pulled one and put it up on the top rail of the fence and he quickly chomped it down. 

I think he would have liked me to pull more for him, but I don't think it is right to feed other people's animals if you don't know what is good for them.

It was very cool Sunday night and we enjoyed sleeping with the windows wide open. Monday's daytime temps were in the high 70's. Sweet!

On Monday we enjoyed the hot spring waters in the early afternoon before the soccer matches.

The large pool and hot tub area attracted the children. There are two waterslides for them to use. The pool is kept at 96°.



We chose to go into the two large hot-spring soaking pools. There was one other couple in when we arrived, but soon we had both pools to ourselves.

One was 101° and the other was 105°.  The jets in the first pool were very strong and the temperature of the second was very relaxing! An added plus was they did not smell of sulfur like many hot springs do.

Life is good. Craig has his soccer,  I have hot water pools, and the Alfa is running smoothly (for now).

It's been at least 25 years since I've done this!

When I was a kid, I always loved horses. Actually, when I was very small I wanted to be a horse, and would pretend I was galloping across the West when I ran around the back yard. 

I remember making what I thought was a splendid horse out of a large box. Much like this picture I found on the Internet. 

Mine probably didn't look as nice as this because I had made it without adult help. 

BigStock From Web

But in my imagination it was a magnificent stallion and I would gallop at a breakneck speed around the neighborhood.  My heart was broken when I discovered that after leaving it at my friends house one afternoon, her dad had put it out with the trash, and it was gone the next morning.  Looking back I realize he did not see what I did, and was just picking up after the kids. 

As a teenager I would save my baby-sitting money and go to the riding stable as often as I could.  That pretty much ended when I met Craig.  He said if I could get him one with wheels, he would ride.  I did go without him once as an adult, but life led me in many other directions.

When we were checking out the activities here at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we saw that they had guided trail rides, and they only charged $25 per hour.  Sign me up!

I was glad to see they had stairs! Just about the only way a fat old lady like me could get onto a horse these days.

Craig did not ride. He stayed at the stable so he could take pictures.

My horse's name was King. I think he was the biggest one they had. He was a sweet fellow. When I first got mounted up my hips screamed out in pain, but I quickly got comfortable and was ready to go. King had an easy gait, and I remembered to post a bit when we trotted. 

The ride was about three miles and took an hour. The sun was shining and the temperatures were no more than the high 70's. 

As I looked at my shadow I let my mind play with thoughts of crossing the country in a wagon train. Would it have been more comfortable to be on a horse all day, or in a bumpy wagon sitting on a hard bench seat?  I felt I understood why cowboys are depicted as bow legged. I wasn't sure I would be able to walk later in the day.

Craig took this picture of the second half of our group. The wrangler and several children had already passed where he was standing.

Craig said I looked like the horse and I had come to terms by the time we got back. At this point I was waiting to dismount and wondering just how I was going to be able to do that.

The answer, was with some help! Once again I was very grateful for the raised platform and the helpful wrangler. It was either that or a crane. 

So what's next?  

            Zip Line? 

            Sky Diving?

            Para-sailing?

            Rock Wall Climbing? 

                          

Answer: 

None of the above, at least not in this life. 

[From Craig] We'll see what the next park specializes in...  :-)